


Canto Bight

by TheEnduringStoryteller



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Adventure & Romance, F/M, Mental Health Issues, Not Canon Compliant, Slow Build, Slow Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-02-27 22:02:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13257495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEnduringStoryteller/pseuds/TheEnduringStoryteller
Summary: A woman with enough stealth to never have been caught in her life as a thief meets a man, a brilliant hacker, who see's right through her.





	1. Attention from a Stranger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I think of a better title I will change it later. ^^

A girl as crafty as she was hard to come by in a world like this. There were many thieves, many criminals, but someone of this caliber, someone with enough skill to only be talked about in whispers, someone that no one knew even knew what species they were, was indeed an oddity. Yet it was, surprisingly, incredibly simple for the little woman to pull off. She had a young an innocent face, a nimble and petite body to escape through narrow places, and hardly anyone ever noticed her. 

Perhaps one might feel sorry for someone who was never noticed. But she didn't see it that way. She used to, long ago. But once she was old enough to realize that the people around her were not the kind you wanted to have notice you, she appreciated her invisibility. She considered it a precious gift, a blessing that others of her class would probably dream of. How many people's lives have been changed for the worse by being noticed by these kinds of people. How many women were enslaved? No, she had to appreciate what she was given. A way to survive.

She walked through the casino very easily. She had stolen enough money throughout her life to be able to afford such lavish clothes to walk into these places without other people batting an eye. She was always careful not to wear anything too flashy though, for men here were just awful. Women were just as bad in different ways, but as a woman herself, she had to be wary of catching a man's attention like that. So, she made sure to make herself look plain. Her dress didn't sparkle, was a pretty but ordinary lavender color. She didn't show much skin either and just to be certain she had an expensive necklace around her, one that looked as though she might be attached to someone, as, many men would give their soon to be wife an elegant necklace such as that for her to show off. It was the perfect way to blend in. 

She walked around confidently. She couldn't help but do so. However, she knew better than to act too confident too. The key to being unseen, was to find a good middle ground, any extreme tends to attract some kind of attention. To appear ordinary was an absolute treasure. She would not only come to these casinos to steal however, she also studied. She studied people, overheard conversations, she studied how to gamble as well. She knew full well that the house always wins and you only win when they let you win. However, it became a little conquest of hers, to beat the system. If she could do that, she would never have to steal again. She could just go down to the casino, win a little and leave. At least, that's what she imagined.

She knew where every single person in her environment was at all times, keeping an eye on anyone suspicious as well. That's when her sharp eyes caught sight of a man wearing a long coat, leaning against a small archway, just looking at her. He was clearly run down, drank a lot, and probably had a lot of other terrible habits that made him look like he did. Bags under his eyes, messy hair, tired expression yet somehow amused as well. It unsettled her for certain. She didn't like anyone looking at her, let alone a character like that. She elected to ignore him, hoping his eyes would catch onto something or someone else. She was hopeful that it would, considering how a place like this must be a paradise to a drunkard like him. 

She continued walking along as she did before, as if invisible, not even a waiter would address her. When she had finally gotten the information that she needed she left, knowing to never stay longer than she needed to. When she left through the front doors she was surprised to see the man she had noticed before, just leaning against the building wall. Perhaps he had gotten kicked out, but he would have been in jail then, wouldn't he? She didn't question it too much, simply kept walking down the stairs, but as she did so, he perked his head up, as if he had been waiting for her. She didn't like the feeling that realization gave her. But still she ignored him. He was not content with that however, and he walked peacefully after her, not in any rush it seemed. 

"I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to t-t-talk." He spoke with a stutter but she didn't even notice, his confidence completely distracted her from that fact. Instead, she turned around with a soft sigh. "Shouldn't security have gotten you by now?" 

He smirked, with a slight twinkle in his small brown eyes. "So I was right."

She looked annoyed and turned around, continuing to walk, though he spoke again as she did so. "You aren't like t-t-the rest of them, are you?" She continued to ignore him, and kept walking. He payed no mind to that however. "Aren't you curious to know how I know that?"

"I'm more curious as to why you won't leave me alone and go to some bar instead. I'll tell my husband about you." In truth, of course, she had no husband, and also, had no need to rely on one. But she was playing the part of one of the elite women of society and that is exactly how they thought and spoke. And yet... she was indeed curious as to why he thought that she wasn't. It concerned her that someone could see right through her, and she wanted to know how, so she could fix it. As if he read her mind, he continued anyway, "Any of those w-w-women in there wouldn't have talked to me, even to insult me. Nor would their husbands let them leave their s-s-side."

"You assume far too much, better go stick to what you know." She said arrogantly, still trying to hold on to some doubt that he must have had in his mind.

"T-T-That's a shame then. For a second, I t-t-thought you were someone interesting." He shrugged, then stopped walking. She could feel that he had done so but kept walking anyway as she replied, "As if I care what you think of me."

He didn't speak after that, just turned and headed back the other way. After a few moments she stopped, and turned around as she saw him leave. It was such a strange and surreal feeling, to be noticed by someone and it not be a terrible experience. He was an interesting drunkard, that's for sure. But she had no desire to peruse him.

One would think that with all of her money she would own a beautiful house overlooking the ocean and city, however, she lived a very odd life, out in the forest. A tree house she had build for herself was far more enjoyable to her. She had contracted a few people to make it more comfortable and paid them well considering that she made sure they did not know the location of the home. 

When she got home she climbed up then went inside and got undressed. As she did so in the quiet of the forest however, she for some reason could not stop thinking about the man she had briefly met. Maybe she had been desiring attention more than she would care to admit. Not just any attention but... safe attention. It was something that was foreign to her, and even if it was the attention of a man like that, she still couldn't help feeling that she liked it. She hardly ever was able to speak to people. 

Not only that, but she found it strange how interesting the man seemed to her. He definitely stood out, especially in a place as expensive as the casino she had been in, he also had some kind of speech impairment, which in many cases might make someone more shy and reserved, but perhaps overtime he gained confidence or maybe he was always like that, she couldn't be so sure. His face told a story, as did his personality. And as a curious little minx she was, she wanted to know more about him. But she couldn't be too careful. There was no way she was going to risk her safety to uncover a mystery.

And yet... She did wonder why he noticed her. He had told her why he knew she was different but not why he noticed her. It was a strange thing to ponder. Yet for some reason it pleased her! She never loved being so confused. It was exciting, something new.

That night was no different than any other however, she still had nightmares, and trouble sleeping. She still had a lot of noise bouncing around in her head, but it was a little bit more bearable when she could focus on the interesting day she'd had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading all! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, if you did, leave a comment down below! :)


	2. It's just a drink

The following morning, the little woman got dressed with a spring in her step. She had decided to go on an adventure today. Well, a mild one anyway. She was going to go to the places she had never been to in this city before. Of course, she wasn't going to go unarmed, she never did. Especially since these places were particularly seedy. She had only really gone to the more lavish and expensive ones before, since they tended to be easier to manage. But after yesterday she just couldn't stay idle.

Instead, she got dressed in somewhat aviator like clothing. Brown pants and white top with a brown leather jacket and an aviator hat. A lot of fly boys and girls stopped by these unsavory places when visiting this city, since they weren't exactly welcome by the elite in most cases. She got on her transportation and zoomed to the city, stopping a bit short so no one would notice where she had come from.

She walked along the streets until she heard music playing, and entered the bar. It was rather lively and full of many different species. She couldn't help but smile a little as she looked around. This place was so different than what she was used to. There were people making shady deals with others at the tables which she noticed, what she did not notice was that "he" was one of said people. He had his dirty boots up on the table as he talked with someone. As she went to the bar counter however, he had noticed her, his eyes doing a double take as he caught a glance at her then looked back at his client.

She looked at the menu for a long while, wondering what she should try, if anything. She wasn't one to drink. She didn't like anything that impaired her senses. Yet, it would be nice to just see what all the fuss was about. She leaned against the bar counter for quite some time, just thinking and observing the atmosphere. Meanwhile, the other man had finished his talk with his client and he now took his boots off the table in a somewhat clumsy manner then sauntered over to the girl, leaning against the bar counter next to her. She was so interested in seeing the bartenders mix the drinks that she had let her guard down for a moment and did not notice him until he spoke. "F-F-Fancy seeing you here."

She jerked a bit in surprise and looked at him. "Do I know you?" She was quite obviously startled and had a hard time covering up her tracks when put in a situation like this.

He chuckled in a huff then looked forward at what she was looking at and stayed quiet. She glanced at him then went back to looking at the bartenders. Why was he so interested in her anyway? It was really starting to both intrigue and concern her. As she thought about this, he called over a bartender and ordered two drinks. At first she thought he was going to drink them both but he slid one over to her. She looked at him with a question in her eyes as he drank his drink. He glanced at her then put his glass down. "It's just a d-d-drink, don't gotta look so confused."

She looked thoughtful then looked back at the drink. "What's in it?"

"Hell if I know." He shrugged, then downed the rest of his drink which was a different color than her's was. "Just the easiest on the menu."

She still looked confused then took a sip of it. She made a face at first but then tasted a sweetness to it and decided she wanted to drink more. He walked off while she drank it, however, she was already rather tipsy. She smiled wide big and blinking a lot, and she noticed him leaving. "Hey you!" She called and stumbled over to him.

He frowned in confusion. "Have you n-n-never drunken liquor before?"

"Hm?" She hummed with a brighter smile.

He sighed then went over to the table he was at before, he looked back and saw that she was walking out so he whistled to get her attention and she turned around and saw him wave her over so she followed and stood in front of him. She wasn't exactly drunk but she wasn't stable either. "What do you want?" She slurred, annoyed.

"S-S-Stay there. Don't follow me. Got it?" He said, then she frowned. "No." She decided very thoughtfully.

He sighed, immediately regretting his decision to buy her something. But how was he to know she was clean? He just shook his head and began walking off but she started following him again. "Look. I'll be back, j-j-just stay here."

She thought about it some more then finally said, "Okay."

"Good." He said, then went on his way out. She stayed in that booth for an hour, then lay down for another hour, before sleeping for quite some time. She was nudged by the owner, who told her she had to leave if she had no business here. She made a noise of disapproval, "But that man said for me to stay here because... I don't know." 

The owner sighed. "Look, you really gotta go, you can wait outside if you want to."

"Alright, alright." She sighed, then slowly got up and out of the building, leaning against the wall outside. Another thirty minutes later she began to regain her senses and started looking around. What was she doing here? Oh right... Then she realized she'd been waiting for someone who clearly wasn't coming back and she rolled her eyes because of her "drunk self's" behavior. "This is precisely why I don't drink." She grumbled, then began heading home once more. As she slowly recalled the days events she was a little embarrassed. She had been so unlike herself, she utterly hated it. No way was she ever going to try a drink again. 

She loathed the fact that she had actually waited for him, even if she was drunk and wasn't thinking clearly. Because she was entirely against being dependent on anyone or trusting someone. She knew better than to be so stupid as to think that anyone would tell the truth in this world, let alone come back for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you did enjoy, please leave a comment below. I hope you are all doing well!


	3. A brush with the empire

The next morning, the petite woman got dressed in similar attire as the night before and went on her way. This time, she decided, she would be more diligent about her surroundings like she usually was.

With this new mindset, she made her way back to the inner city. There, she walked along the roads in search of something new or interesting to do. As she walked along the city she would subconsciously end up pick-pocketing everyone who passed her. It was such a habit now that she didn't even notice when she did it anymore, it came very easily to her. 

As she walked though, she noticed that there was a lot of noise, not just in the market place, but in her own mind. There was so much distraction plaguing her. Telling her nonsensical things, scary things, making her anxious and on edge. As she wrestled with this noise she noticed that two people were following her. Her mind went even more rampant and her heart started racing. Deftly, she reached to get her knife in her hand and she weaved her way naturally through the crowd. Perhaps her mind was playing tricks on her and she was just being paranoid, but she soon realized that wasn't the case. They continued following her until suddenly she turned around and faced them boldly. "Are you headed anywhere in particular?" She asked, clearly agitated, her head tilted to the side.

They looked startled at first but soon recovered. "Just to the pub down the street."

"Then be my guest, wouldn't want to hold you up. I walk rather slow." She said, then stepped to the side and encouraged them to walk on by extending her arm out. They looked taken aback then continued walking. In this little city, or perhaps by fate, the man from before was near and had noticed her. He didn't dwell on it for long however, and went back to paying a merchant for parts while she walked on, now following the two men who had clearly attempted to hurt her in some way.

When she saw that they had went into the pub she walked ahead, then hid in the ally beside it, waiting for them. Her instincts were correct. As soon as they had walked inside, they walked back out and she stuck her foot out so the man at the back tripped and fell into the one in the front and she grabbed him and slammed him against the wall. "Why are you following me?" She glared, then grabbed his throat before kicking the other between his legs as he tried to pull out a pistol. "Tell me!" She hissed.

She then heard a familiar voice to the side of her, "D-D-Don't think he's going to be able to answer with you c-c-choking him." He smirked, watching on with interest, leaning against the wall, as always.

She glanced at him then threw the man she was holding out, causing him to knock into his friend once more. "If I ever see you again, I will not hesitate to kill you." They nodded fearfully and scattered off like rats in a sewer.

She then finally looked at him. "Why are you always around me?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing." He quipped, smirking for a second.

"I don't plan it, believe me." She complained, then rolled her eyes and started to leave but he stopped her for a moment by stepping in her way. "Do you know who those men were?"

She just stayed quiet while he explained. "S-S-Scouts for the empire. I've seen them around. Seem to be looking for a woman. Who knows what for." He gave her a knowing look.

"Oh please." She huffed, then moved past him. "They wouldn't be looking for someone like me."

"Why's that?" He asked, walking with her.

"I haven't done anything to cross them, that's why. Everyone knows that the only scum they are interested in finding is rebel scum and that is not me." She insisted, pick-pocketing on her way as she walked.

He noticed this with an amused smirk. "I can see that." 

"So I've got nothing to hide." She said confidently, but he interjected before she could form her next thought.

"They are also probably looking f-f-for force sensitive people." He remarked, and she turned around, nearly laughing. "Again, not me."

"You don't think it's a little odd that you c-c-can do... this?" He asked, referring to her thieving skills.

She stopped walking and looked at him. "Do you think, that I am absolutely stupid?"

He was actually taken aback and stopped as she continued speaking. "Don't think for one moment that I trust you. Because I don't. I know what you're after and you're wasting your time. I'm an ordinary person who learned how to survive, there is nothing new about that. So if you could stop trying to pretend like you're different than the rest of us scum, I'd appreciate it." She continued on walking and he didn't attempt to stop her. He did smile a bit though, she really was something to behold. He was usually pretty good at conning people like her, lonely and trusting, or so he thought. So many people here were very naive, but she was an entirely different animal for sure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! All comments and kudos are appreciated, hope you enjoyed! <3


End file.
